I'm currently in the process of trying to figure out which switch in my house turns on an outdoor light fixture. Apparently this switch doesn't exist. The bulb is new, known to be working, and of the appropriate wattage. This fixture has never been on since I bought the house (which isn't all that long ago anyway).
The only thing that I can't explain is that there is a blank face plate opposite the wall shared by this light. Inside are 2 capped wires (shown below). I don't have the slightest clue what these were for, if anything. They were like this when I bought the house.
Could these be from an old switch? Is there a safe way to test them without shorting something? It's probably just a red herring to distract me from my search, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to ask about anyway. It's not very far from the fixture, so I didn't want to discount the possibility.
If these either are definitely not for a switch, or do not control the outside light, are there any tricks/tips I could attempt in terms of finding where my mystery switch is located?
Here is the box of the fixture outside:
Best Answer
Make sure the light bulb is good.
Measure voltage across those 2 wires. Does it read full line voltage?
Remove all the light bulbs. Does the voltage change? (It might be "phantom voltage").
If the voltage is there with the bulb in, and gone/diminished to phantom when the bulb is out, then it probably is a switch to the bulb. The next test is to connect those 2 wires to a receptacle, and plug a lamp into the receptacle. (really works best if the lamp has a switch). Now put same-size incandescent light bulbs in both lamps.
Does turning the temporary lamp on cause the other one to light up? If yes, are they both about half brightness? If so, that settles it; that's a switch to that light.